With misty white clouds and a fine spray of drizzle blanketing the city, the spectacular view from the fourth level of the Australian Museum was mostly obscured on the day I dined.

Yet even the vague outline of the twin spires of St Mary’s Cathedral juxtaposed against a ghostly collection of city towers was enough to get some cameras snapping; and for everyone else, there was wine.

While the temptation to bury my sorrows in a glass of Wild One Chardonnay ($8) and wait out this miserable weather was high; the light-filled, airy surrounds of No.1 William Street are a hard place to be miserable in, whatever the weather throws at you.

Dining with a girlfriend keen to eat healthy food, we share two different salads. Roast Heirloom Beets Salad ($12.50/small) teams purple and golden roasted beets with a scattering of blue lentils, goat’s curd and a tangle of leaves that included pretty red-veined, sorrel leaves.

Samphire, a tasty beach plant, scrubbed up particularly nicely in the Seared Barramundi ($24), with a generous portion of crisp-skinned fish propped up on prawn and bacon mash in a frothy lake of citrus beurre blanc.

As you'd expect in a venue inside a museum, there's an extensive children's menu and smaller guests are present in considerable numbers.

However with the sheer size of this space, and good table separation, my girlfriend and I felt inclined to linger and take our time with the generously propotioned Australian Cheese Selection ($18.50). By the time we left, we had gotten some glimpses of what would be a wonderful Hyde Park, Sydney Harbour and William Street view.

By the way, if you're just coming up to No. 1 William for breakfast, lunch or afternoon tea, you don't need to join the ticket queue! Just by pass the queue and head straight for the lift in the Crystal Hall.